This story ran in the News & Record on Aug. 28, 1995:
GREENSBORO — Unrelenting rain soaked Greensboro and its neighbors for a second straight day Sunday, leading to the accidental death of a Mebane firefighter and critically injuring a woman in a Greensboro car accident.
The rains also drenched roads, yards and rooftops across the Piedmont, causing at least one roof collapse and other less serious traffic accidents.
In Mebane, a firefighter died as he tried to rescue a driver whose car was swept away by flood waters on N.C. 119, emergency officials said. The firefighter's name was not released Sunday night.
In Greensboro, a Durham woman was critically injured after she lost control of her car and hydroplaned on the eastbound lane of Lee Street Sunday afternoon. Linda Anne Ironside's car ran off the road and hit a utility pole.
The spillover from Tropical Storm Jerry drenched Greensboro continuously from 9:30 a.m. Saturday right through Sunday, according to Johnnie Smith, a National Weather Service meteorologist. Today, occasional rain and thunderstorms are expected in the Triad.
On Sunday, more than 4 inches of rain fell in Greensboro by late afternoon, according to measurements at the Piedmont Triad International Airport.
The trouble spots included Latham Park, where the rising water of North Buffalo Creek forced the closure of surrounding streets in the afternoon. In Burlington, heavy rains caused a roof to collapse at Leesona, a machinery plant on Tucker Street. Police reported no injuries.
Emergency dispatchers in several Triad counties reported many calls of scattered flooding, downed tree limbs and rain-related car crashes, but there were few serious incidents.
A rush of rain forced an overflow of sewage water Sunday morning on Eastchester Drive, near Festival Park in High Point. The water bubbled over a manhole cover as crews blocked one lane of the busy road and waited for the storm to let up.
Duke Power reported scattered outages throughout the area. In Greensboro, about 100 customers were without power Sunday night, said spokeswoman Domeko Hunter. About 300 customers in Burlington and about 100 in Winston-Salem had no power, she said. The outages were caused mainly by downed trees because of saturated ground and flooding in low-lying areas, Hunter said.
Elsewhere in North Carolina, heavy rains closed roads, damaged houses and forced evacuations.
Hundreds of Charlotte residents were forced to leave their homes and apartments after flood waters rose, and officials evacuated patients from a local nursing home. Many were able to return later in the day, but two shelters were set up for displaced residents.
The state Highway Patrol closed Interstate 85 in Cabarrus County between mile markers 55 and 58 because of knee-deep water Sunday morning. The road was reopened later in the day.
"North of us, we had four or five inches of rain fall in just a little bit," said Highway Patrol 1st Sgt. Ray Leonhardt, who was directing traffic on the interstate. "That's what got us."
The National Weather Service reported that a flooded stream forced the evacuation of a nursing home in Kannapolis. The weather service issued flash-flood warnings for several counties in western and central North Carolina.
At least four secondary roads and one bridge were washed out in Cabarrus County, said Joe Wilson, an engineer for the state Department of Transportation.
Authorities in Polk, Rutherford, Henderson and Transylvania counties also reported that roads were closed.
In Charlotte, several homes in the Eastover neighborhood were damaged by flooding, which also submerged several cars.
Elizabeth Morrow said the water in her house was hip deep because of flooding from Briar Creek, which runs behind her house.
"The house is ruined, don't you think?" said Morrow, who still managed to keep her spirits up. "What else can I do?"
Some residents said it was the worst flooding they've seen in 30 years.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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